Conflict and chaos
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Chaos? Bring it on!
“If chaos is a necessary step in the organization of one’s universe, then I was well on my way.” ~Wendelin Van Draanen Talk about chaos? Nearly every room in our house is being repainted, which means we’re living in a state of perpetual disorder. Following the schedule of our painters, we’ve been moving all of our stuff — including furniture — from room to room for the past two weeks. Last week, our living room looked like a ransacked junk shop while the painters worked in the dining room and kitchen. But after years of living through various home improvement projects (see page 14 in my book, Writing Home), I’ve…
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What are you expecting?
“There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations.” ~ Jodi Picoult Today’s quote really got me thinking. Over the past year, I’ve learned too many things that have deeply disappointed me. And while I’m usually an optimist, some of these things have made me doubt my faith in humanity and made me anxious about the future. You too? Part of the problem is that most of us are consuming more “news” than we can thoughtfully process and systematically fact-check. (Thanks, social media.) No wonder so many people fall under the dark spell of misinformation and conspiracy theories. So what does this have to do…
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The circus of life
“You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town,” ~Anne Lamott, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith Some of my favorite quotes are circus metaphors. Another one that I’ve enjoyed using lately — “Not my circus, not my monkeys” — has Polish origins. Do you ever get the feeling that life is one big circus act? Sometimes we’re balancing with ease on the high wire; other times we’re stuck for hours in the clown car. Pass the popcorn. ~CL
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Sitting it out
“No one reaches out to you for compassion or empathy so that you can teach them how to behave better. They reach out to you because they believe in your capacity to know their darkness well enough to sit in the dark with them.” ~ Brene Brown, The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connections and Courage Being human means you’re going to experience bouts of disappointment, anger, and sadness. Something happens that you can’t fix or change. Someone will say or do something that hurts or alienates you. Or you might say something insensitive and hurtful to someone else. As hard as we try to avoid emotional collisions, we…
